Cherries, blueberries and similar small round fruit and produce are frequently packaged in individual plastic bags (“baggies”) and small plastic “clam shell” type containers for consumer convenience. Automated packaging systems for cherries, blueberries and similar produce employ a variety of conveyers, hoppers, sizers, dryers, weigh/fill machines and other apparatus that transport, process, and meter the cherries into individual bags and containers. The goal of such automated packaging systems is to fill the bags or containers as quickly as possible, while consistently and precisely filling each bag or container with the desired amount of produce.
In order to maximize the packaging process, weigh/fill packaging machines have been developed that fill an array of multiple individual bags carried in specialized packing boxes. These specialized packing boxes are commonly known in the industry and generally include a large box base and a pair of nested dividers seated atop the box base. The dividers segment and arrange the individual bags into multiple rows within the container box. The dividers help funnel the produce into the bags and hold the mouth of each bag open for receiving the berries. Once filled, the dividers are removed and the bags sealed while still disposed within the box base, which is used as a shipping container for the bags of individually packaged berries.